Every parliamentary written question tabled by Laurence Turner this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 34 · Department for Education
What funding has been allocated to the construction of the Frankley Hill specialist school in New Frankley, Birmingham.
Frankley Hill School in Birmingham is currently at an early stage of development. At this stage, a specific project budget has not yet been confirmed. A feasibility study is underway, including site surveys and initial design work, which will inform the overall project budget.
Which schools in Birmingham are part of the partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools programme.
Listed below are the schools in Birmingham which are part of the partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools programme (PINS).Birmingham Local Authority Schools participating in PINS:Local authority areaYear 1 - 2024/25Year 2 - 2025/26BirminghamBroadmeadow Infant SchoolAlbert Bradbeer Primary AcademyBirminghamBroadmeadow Junior SchoolAl-Furqan Primary SchoolBirminghamGilbertstone Primary SchoolElms Farm Community Primary SchoolBirminghamGrestone AcademyGreet Primary SchoolBirminghamHighfield Junior and Infant SchoolKings Rise AcademyBirminghamHolly Hill Methodist CofE Infant SchoolLeigh Primary SchoolBirminghamJames Watt Primary SchoolLozells Junior and Infant School and NurseryBirminghamKitwell Primary SchoolOasis Academy WoodviewBirminghamMapledene Primary SchoolRobin Hood AcademyBirminghamNansen Primary SchoolRookery SchoolBirminghamOasis Academy Blakenhale InfantsSt Bernadette's Catholic Primary SchoolBirminghamOasis Academy Blakenhale JuniorSt Michael's Church of England Primary SchoolBirminghamOasis Academy Short HeathSt Wilfrid's Catholic Junior and Infant SchoolBirminghamPrincethorpe Infant SchoolTopcliffe Primary SchoolBirminghamPrincethorpe Junior SchoolWard End Primary SchoolBirminghamReaside AcademyWheelers Lane Primary SchoolBirminghamSt John's CofE Primary SchoolWoodgate Primary SchoolBirminghamSt Martin de Porres Catholic Primary SchoolWychall Primary SchoolBirminghamThe Rosary Catholic Primary SchoolWyndcliffe Primary SchoolBirminghamTimberley AcademyHeathfield Primary SchoolBirminghamYardley Wood Community Primary School BirminghamSt Vincent's Catholic Primary School BirminghamSt Francis Catholic Primary School School data accurate as at 8 October 2025.
What discussions her Department has held with the (a) Welsh and (b) Scottish governments on the potential impact of the establishment of School Support Staff Negotiating Body on (i) recruitment and (ii) retention in border areas.
Education is a devolved matter, and the application of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body provisions in the Employment Rights Bill is therefore for state-funded schools in England only.
Pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2025 to Question 65451 on the School Support Staff Negotiating Body, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing the body in shadow form ahead of the introduction of secondary legislation.
We anticipate the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will be operational from April 2026. In advance of this, departmental officials have established a regular working group with recognised trade unions representing school support staff and employer representative organisations to provide a forum for stakeholders to give views on the design of the body. We also engage with wider stakeholders who can share knowledge and expertise on the school support staff sector.It would not be appropriate to establish a more formal shadow SSSNB before we have confirmed which staff are in scope of the SSSNB. We have consulted on this matter and expect to publish findings in the autumn. There is also a duty for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to consult the Trades Union Congress before appointing employee representatives. It is important that we work closely with stakeholders but that we do not pre-empt the findings from these consultations.
What (a) published and (b) unpublished research her Department has considered as part of its preparation for establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body; and what the titles are of each piece of research.
This government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce, which is why the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) is being established through the Employment Rights Bill.To inform the establishment and operation of the SSSNB, the department has commissioned new and detailed research into the role and value of school support staff. The research was conducted by Ipsos and findings are expected to be published by around late 2025 and early 2026. The government also included a call for evidence on pay and conditions for school support staff as part of its consultation on setting up the SSSNB, which closed on 18 July, with findings expected to be published in the autumn.Beyond this, departmental officials regularly review published research and evidence on school support staff, including statistical publications such as the School Workforce Census, survey data, and the Education Endowment Foundation’s publications on teaching assistants.
Which children's centres closed in England between May 2010 and July 2024 by (a) name, (b) postcode and (c) date of closure.
Data on children’s centres is supplied by local authorities via the department’s Get Information about Schools database portal at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.Based on the information supplied by local authorities, the attached document provides details of the name and postcode and date of closure of Sure Start children’s centres that closed in England between May 2010 and July 2024.The list of children’s centres closed since May 2010 and July 2024 is based on information supplied by local authorities as of 8 July 2025. These figures may be different to previous answers, and could change again in future, since local authorities may update the database at any time.
With reference to her Department's press release entitled Over half a million more children to get free school meals, published on 4 June 2025, if she will make an estimate of how many additional children will be made eligible for free school meals from September 2026 in (a) the West Midlands, (b) the Birmingham local authority area and (c) the Birmingham Northfield constituency.
This government is determined to tackle child poverty and spread growth and opportunity to every family in every part of our country. We have now announced the biggest expansion of free school meal eligibility in England in a generation. We will give every child whose family is in receipt of Universal Credit the entitlement to free school meals (FSM) from September 2026. This means that over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds will become eligible for a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day. This will lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.Crucially, this will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back into parents’ pockets, supporting families with decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.Department for Work and Pensions data shows that 11,350 children in the Birmingham Northfield constituency will be eligible for FSM from September 2026. Following publication of the updated school census on 5 June, the department will publish further information on the numbers of children currently in receipt of means-tested FSM and the numbers of eligible children, by parliamentary constituency, in the coming weeks.
With reference to her spokesperson's comments in the Birmingham Mail article entitled The reason staff at a Birmingham school decided a last resort strike, published on 7 March 2025, whether she plans to make an Academy Order for the George Dixon Primary School in Birmingham.
High and rising standards are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity so every child can achieve and thrive.An academy order for George Dixon Primary School in Birmingham was issued in June 2023 and remains in place. Departmental officials continue to work with the local authority on next steps. A request has been made by the school’s governing body to revoke the academy order, and a decision will be shared with them shortly.
What her timetable is for appointing a new Chair of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.
The government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce. School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and are crucial to ensuring we give children the best possible life chances.The School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) will mean that employers and employee representatives come together to negotiate terms and conditions and pay for school support staff, to ensure that support staff are properly recognised and rewarded for the work they do.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education plans to follow the usual public appointments process and appoint a Chair for the SSSNB after primary legislation receives Royal Assent.
Pursuant to the Answer of 11 April to Question 40395 on Further Education: Special Educational Needs, whether any ringfenced capital grants have been made to the SEND-specialist further education sector in the last ten years; and what information her Department holds on capital expenditure by SEND-specialist further education providers.
The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision sits with local authorities.The department provides funding to local authorities to support them to meet this duty. Local authorities can spend their funding across the 0 to 25 age range, including in special post-16 institutions or other further education settings. The need for investment across this age range will differ between different local authorities, dependent on local circumstances, and it is therefore for local authorities to determine how best to prioritise available funding to address their local priorities.The department has published £740 million of local authority high needs capital allocations for the 2025/26 financial year. Although this funding is not ringfenced and local authorities have discretion over how they spend their funding, we do ask local authorities to complete and return a grant assurance data return each year to provide details on the projects they intend to fund using their high needs provision capital allocation funding.Whilst local authorities are not required to publish these returns, the department does encourage them to consider doing so to aid local transparency.
What proportion of children in state-funded schools were educated in special schools in each year from 2010-11.
The department publishes data on the number of children in special schools and the total number of pupils in state-funded schools in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england. Data since 2015/16 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9e7bff83-c9e9-4503-9355-08dd6ba01329. The same data for years 2010/11 to 2014/15 can be accessed at:: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F5a80340040f0b62305b89c8b%2FSFR25-2015_TABLES_NATIONAL.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK.
What steps her Department has taken to support the SEND-specialist Further Education sector; and what central capital grants have been provided to that sector during the last ten years.
The department has now published allocations for £740 million of high needs capital funding for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this funding, Birmingham has been allocated a total of just under £15 million which can be used to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings including early years, post-16 settings and alternative provision. It can also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.This is in addition to over £3 billion of high needs capital funding allocated to local authorities since 2018.The department has also announced allocations of high needs revenue funding, which will be allocated as part of the dedicated schools grant to local authorities, and which they can use to support specialist further education provision for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), particularly those with education, health and care plans, as well as children with SEND in the schools sector. High needs funding will total over £12 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.
How many staff employed by single academy trusts were paid (a) between £150,000 and £199,999, (b) between £200,000 and £249,999 and (c) in excess of £250,000 in each of the last five years by trust.
The department collates and publishes data annually in the ‘Academies sector annual report and accounts’ on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and £150,000 and above.The department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022/23 will be published shortly. The deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023/24 to the department was 28 January 2025 and this data is currently collated for publication. Academy trusts must also publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website.
How many staff employed by multi academy trusts were paid (a) between £150,000 and £199,999, (b) between £200,000 and £249,999 and (c) in excess of £250,000 in each of the last five years by trust.
The department collates and publishes data annually in the ‘Academies sector annual report and accounts’ on the number of academy trusts with an individual staff member whose emoluments are above £100,000. The data is available in the attached spreadsheet and can also be accessed in the reports published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-sector-annual-reports-and-accounts.Emoluments include salary, employer pension contributions and other benefits received during the year. These are reported in bandings of £100,000 to £150,000 and £150,000 and above.The department also publishes an annex alongside the academy sector accounts listing academy trusts paying one or more staff member remuneration of £150,000 in that year.The academies sector annual report and accounts is drawn from academy trusts’ accounts data. The report for 2022/23 will be published shortly. The deadline for academy trusts to submit data for 2023/24 to the department was 28 January 2025 and this data is currently collated for publication. Academy trusts must also publish pay information in their annual audited accounts and on their website.
What contracts (a) BFS Group Limited and (b) subsidiary companies of BFS Group Limited hold with (i) her Department and (ii) agencies of her Department.
Following a search of the department's contract records for any supplier with “BFS Group Limited” in its name, it has been concluded that there are no live or historical contracts with that supplier.
Pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2025 to Question 23229, on Teachers: Pay, if she will provide the same data for newly qualified teachers.
Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The attached table provides the full-time equivalent median average salary for newly qualified teachers in academy schools, free schools, local authority maintained schools and all state-funded schools in England, as at November 2023.
What the average full-time salary was for (a) classroom and (b) all teachers in (i) academies, (ii) free schools, (iii) local authority maintained schools and (iv) all publicly-funded schools in 2023.
Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The attached table provides the full-time equivalent median average salary for classroom teachers and all teachers in academy schools, free schools, local authority maintained schools and all state-funded schools in England, as at November 2023.
With reference to section 7.2.12 of her Department's publication entitled School workforce census guide 2024: Guide for schools including academies within a Multi Academy Trust, published on 11 October 2024, how many and what proportion of teacher posts in publicly-funded schools in England were paid on each pay range record for which data was returned in the most recent workforce census period broken down by (a) academy schools, (b) free schools, (c) local authority maintained schools and (d) all publicly-funded schools.
Information on the school workforce is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The attached table provides the pay ranges reported for teacher contracts broken down by school type in the November 2023 school workforce census, which is the latest data available.
With reference to the Standards and Testing Agency's publication of 20 July 2022, entitled Information: primary assessments in the 2022/23 academic year, for what reason it was decided not to undertake further science sampling tests at Key Stage 2.
Statutory teacher assessment of science is undertaken annually at the end of key stage 2 for all pupils in the relevant cohort. Between 2014 and 2020, biennial national science sampling tests were used to supplement this teacher assessment data, with a nationally representative sample of key stage 2 pupils participating in these tests to monitor the performance and attainment in science at national level.The science sampling test scheduled to take place in 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, due to resource pressures on the department, the previous government decided not to recommence science sampling thereafter. The ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review is considering the current assessment system and will make its recommendations later in the year.
How many air cleaning units were provided to education facilities in (a) Birmingham Northfield constituency, (b) Birmingham, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England since 2020.
Between January 2022 and April 2023, the department provided over 9,000 air cleaning units to over 1,300 education and childcare settings that had been identified with poor ventilation.Four air cleaning units were provided to education settings in the Birmingham Northfield constituency, 269 units were provided to education settings in the Birmingham City Council area and 996 units were provided to education settings in the West Midlands. In total, 8,848 air cleaning units were delivered to education settings in England. These figures do not include units provided to early years settings.The department has published guidance on how to use CO2 monitors and air cleaning units, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings.